Am I Pretty?
by Death of Hearts
Summary: Hermione is sick of not being good enough for Ron, so she leaves the common room one night to collect her thoughts. But on her walk through the halls she finds comfort in the most unexpected person... pairing inside. M for later chapters.
1. Alone?

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Harry Potter. I just twist them to my will and write stories about it.

I wasn't going to write this story but it started to haunt me and so I finally started writing it. Enjoy and review.

Hermione sat at the fireplace alone, crying silently as she listened to the sounds of Lavender and Ron fucking.

_You'll never be good enough for him you mudblood bitch._

The thought ran through her mind again. Never once had either of them looked at her like a girl. Never once had they complimented her on anything but her smarts. She heard Lavender scream Ron's name and abandoned the common room for the deserted halls. Something about the dark, cold hallways calmed her.

_You're not good enough you filthy, vile, wench._

She began crying again.

"Watch where you're going mudblood." Draco glared at her, unable to see her tears in the dim light of the moon. Hermione simply nodded and started to walk away when Draco pulled her back.

"No comment? No 'watch where you're walking ferret?' What's wrong?" Draco asked. _Why does he care? _She asked herself quietly wiping away a tear. Draco pulled her over to the window and saw her eyes were red and puffy with tear streaks down her cheeks. "Granger? What happened?" He sat down on the sill, pulling her down to sit beside him. "Why do you care?" She asked coldly. Draco pulled back a little. Why did he care? It's not like she was a close friend or anything. He shook his head.

"I'm not sure, but still I asked a question and I expect an answer." He said quietly. She glanced back at the common room and stood up.

"I'm not good enough." She whispered, running away from the common room towards Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. At least in there she would have some company that recognized her as a girl.

"Granger wait!" Draco started running after her. He caught up with her half way there. "Not good enough for what?" He asked, holding her by her arms so she couldn't run away again.

"It doesn't matter." She struggled to pull away from him.

"It does matter if it can make you this upset. I'm trying to be friendly now please just tell me what's going on." He implored her.

"I'm not good enough I told you." He released one of her arms.

"Not good enough for what?" He asked again. Hermione stopped struggling.

"Not good enough for him." She whispered, breaking down into tears once more. Draco let go of her and she fell to the floor crying.

"Shhh, it's ok. You'll be fine." Draco sat down on the floor next to her, pulling her close so she could cry on his shoulder.

"No! No it's not!" She sobbed.

"It'll never be alright." She buried her face into his shoulder and cried harder. Draco simply held her there until she stopped crying.

"Feel any better?" He asked softly. She nodded, wiping her face off with her sleeve. "Good. Now who are you not good enough for?" She sniffled a little and took a deep breath.

"Ron." She finally answered. Draco started laughing.

"What are you laughing about?!" Hermione demanded. Draco shook his head.

"Weasley has never been the brightest crayon in the box so I can see why he's never realized what's right in front of him." Draco slowly stopped laughing. Hermione looked at him silently for a moment.

"And what does he have in front of him?" She asked almost inaudibly.

"A beautiful girl who cares about him." Draco thought out loud, not realizing he had until Hermione looked at him.

"You…you think I'm pretty?" She watched as a small smile, not a smirk, not a smug grin, but a real smile graced his features.

"If I didn't do you really think I would be sitting here?" He turned his gaze from the moon to her, the light giving him the look of an angel. She blushed a little and stared at the floor.

"Actually I never thought you would be sitting here at all." She looked back up at him. "Never judge a book by its cover Hermione; I thought you of all people should know that." She smiled at the sound of her name.

"Well Draco, you seemed to judge books by their covers quite a bit." She punched his shoulder lightly and yawned.

"I should be heading back to the common room, it's getting late." They stood up and started walking towards the Gryffindor tower. After a minute or two of walking Hermione stopped.

"Hey Draco?" He turned to face her.

"Yes?"

"Do you think you could hold on to this for a while?" She held out a locket that Ron had given her for her birthday and Draco smiled.

"Of course." He put it in his pocket and started walking again. That's when Draco noticed Hermione was almost sleeping on her feet.

"Hermione? Hermione wake up." Draco touched her shoulder gently.

"Hm?" She opened her eyes and yawned again. Draco shook his head lightly and picked her up. He walked up to the picture of the fat lady and knocked. The portrait swung open and Ron stood there rubbing his eyes.

"What the bloody hell?!" He asked, his eyes opening wide at the sight before him. Draco shifted slightly.

"I found her asleep in the hallway." He said, handing her to Ron. After a few seconds of watching Ron struggle to walk Draco took her back into his arms.

"Where's her room?" He walked into the common room and towards the stairs.

"Up those stairs and it's the second door on your right." Ron said, still a little too sleepy to realize what he had just said. Draco walked up the stairs, followed closely by Ron, towards the room. It seemed that the closer they got to the room, the tighter Hermione clung to Draco's shirt. He set her down on the bed and went to stand up only to find that she wasn't letting go any time soon.

"What's wrong ferret? Can't leave her alone?" Ron asked smugly.

"I would but she has hold of my shirt." Draco shot back, shedding his cloak and taking off his shirt so she could hold on to it. As he put his cloak back on Ron stood there, mouth agape, at what at just happened.

"You're just leaving your shirt with her?" He asked astonished.

"I see no reason not to." Draco answered, descending the stairs quickly so he could get back to the common room for some much needed sleep.

"Why?" Draco stopped in the middle of the portrait hole, took out the locket and put it on.

"Because sometimes a girl just needs to be told she's pretty." And with that the portrait closed.

Oh….Cliffie! Don't worry I have the next chapter started but I'm not posting it until I get at least 5 reviews(yeah I don't expect much) Flames are welcomed as I suck at writing and would love to improve! _**Looking for a Beta!**_


	2. You're wearing what?

Omg……. I logged into my mail and I had like over 100 messages in and there were like 80 from this site telling me people submitted reviews and added my story and me to their lists. You guys have made my day; I never expected this story to get such a great response!

Twilight xx3: Thank you!

ProwlingKitKat: 1. yeah I know and yeah I don't care 2. I know but it's a fan fiction. Work with me here. 3. She wasn't listening so much as sitting around wallowing in self pity. 4. She gave him the locket because she didn't want to posses it while she couldn't have him.

Mackenzie: Thanks for the idea, I think I got it across pretty well (I still don't trust my writing though)

Any way on with the story!

Hermione woke up the next morning with Draco's shirt draped over her arm.

_It wasn't a dream after all. He really does care._

She smiled and started getting ready for classes, looking through her closet before remembering it was Saturday and she could wear whatever. She glanced back over to the shirt lying on her bed and sighed.

_It wouldn't hurt after all he did leave it here so obviously he wanted me to have it._

She changed into the black shirt with intricate silver patterns running over the front. She looked at her reflection and started brushing out her hair so it fell in beautiful waves down her back.

_Perfect._

It was the only way to describe how she looked. She walked out of the common room and headed towards the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Oi! Hermione!" She looked up and saw Harry and Ron waiting for her at the end of the hall.

"Morning boys." She said cheerfully as they fell into step with her.

"What was up with you last night Hermione? Draco carried you into the common room." Ron asked. Hermione shrugged.

"I fell asleep what more is there to tell?" She shrugged.

"Yes but he's a bloody Slytherin!! Why in the world would you let him carry you to your room?" Ron looked to Harry for support only to see the raven haired boy hold up his hands.

"Leave me out of this one mate." Harry looked over towards the window, detaching himself from the argument.

"BLOODY HELL!!! Are you wearing Ferret's shirt?!?" Ron's eyes got wide and Harry, suddenly interested in the argument, looked over so fast he almost hurt himself.

"Yeah, I am. What about it?" Hermione shrugged, smiling at Ginny as they neared the double doors of the Great Hall.

"You should have burned that thing by now! You can't be seen walking around in Malfoy's shirt!!" He said through clenched teeth. Hermione looked over at Ron, whose face was as red as his hair.

"Why not? After all he did leave it in my room, give me one good reason why I shouldn't be wearing it." Hermione stopped in front of the Great Hall.

"Because people will think you two are shagging." Harry said quickly, cutting Ron off before he could start yelling. Hermione sighed.

"Well you know what maybe we are. Come on you two it's not like anyone will notice that this is Draco's shirt. Besides who in their right mind would think that he and I are shagging?" Hermione opened the door and walked in, leaving behind her open mouthed friends.

"Did she just call him Draco?" Ron looked over at his best mate in horror.

"Yeah Ron, I think she just did." They watched as she strutted over to the Gryffindor table, smiling at her friends the entire time.

"Come sit over here 'Mione." Ginny shouted over the roar of the table. Hermione started filling up her plate as she sat down, purposely ignoring the looks Draco was sending her from the Slytherin table.

"Hey 'Mione?"

"What?"

"Where did you get that shirt? I've seen everything in your closet and I've never seen that." Lavender asked.

"Oh I got it last night, one of my friends let me have it. He's such a good friend." Hermione looked up and smirked at Draco who in turn started to play with the locket, smirking the entire time.

"Really? So who is this guy? I've never seen this in Ron's closet either and I doubt Harry would wear those colors." Lavender said with an almost obnoxious tone and a smirk. Hermione smiled innocently.

"No one you know." She replied, turning away from Lavender to talk to Neville about their Charms study session they had planned for that afternoon.

_I know you're looking at me, I'm not stupid Draco._

The boy in question smirked.

_Planting thoughts in my head Hermione? That talent could be used in very creative ways._

She blushed slightly, her eyes widening. She glared over at him.

_Pervert._

Draco snickered.

"What's so funny Drackiekins?" Pansy, wearing a tube top and mini skirt, (A/N: a whore in every way) slide an arm around his neck, her intent to kiss him. Draco pushed the Barbie doll girl away.

"Nothing Pansy." He sighed heavily and went back to eating his food, making sure that she was at arm length.

"Hmph, Drackie why don't you like me?" Pansy whined, her eyes tearing up a little.

"Because you wear too much make-up, you're clingy and while you are a good fuck that's all you'll ever be." Draco answered calmly before finishing off the last of his pumpkin juice. Pansy's eyes began to tear.

"Draco that's so mean! I can't believe you would say that!"

"Yeah well I can't believe you actually thought I liked you. Get it through you're thick, make-up covered skull. I will never like you." Draco said calmly, everyone in the hall turning to see the scene. Pansy huffed, stood up and started walking towards her room for a good cry.

"I swear that girl's so dense sometimes." Draco shook his head. Blaise sighed. (A/N: I have read tons of stories where Blaise is an Italian guy and I'm going with that cause I can't find the book.)

"Doesn't mean you had to do that." Blaise grabbed his jacket from the seat beside him and walked away. Draco gave Blaise a strange look before going back to eating. Meanwhile across the Great Hall Harry and Ron were having an argument over quidditch.

"I'm telling you Harry, the Chudley Cannons are going to win this year." Ron insisted through a mouthful of food.

"Right Ron, just like last year." Harry rolled his eyes and started piling more food on his plate.

"Last year was just a fluke, this year they're going to win for sure-"

"Can you two shut up about quidditch? I'm trying to read." Hermione interrupted. Ron looked over at her and his mouth almost dropped open.

"Bloody Hell 'Mione. What'd you do?"

"What are you talking about Ron? And please don't talk with your mouth full." Ron swallowed before continuing.

"Your hair and – are you wearing make-up? Bloody Hell." Ron sat there in shock.

"What's wrong with a little bit of make-up and doing my hair?" She asked, a tad upset that Ron was getting so worked up about it.

"Nothing. It's just that, well, now you look pretty." Ron smiled. Hermione instantly stood up, furious.

"Now I'm pretty? **Now** I'm pretty? What's that supposed to mean? You know what never mind. I'm going to my room." Hermione picked up her bag and stormed out of the Great Hall, everyone staring.

"Wonderful, wonder what the weasel did this time." Draco sighed heavily.

"I best go check on 'Mione." He stood up and walked out of the hall, drawing the attention of Ron and Harry.

"Where's ferret face going?" Ron asked quietly. Harry glared at the blonde boy in question.

"I don't know but I don't like it." He replied, pulling Ron back down to the table.

"If you follow him he might get us into trouble and then Hermione will hurt us. Just let it go."

"But Harry, this is Malfoy we're talking about. Lord knows what he'll do to 'Mione when we're not around." Ron protest, his mouth still full of food. Harry stabbed at his eggs angrily.

"We just have to trust that 'Mione can take care of herself."

A/N: Sorry about this chapter being short. I haven't gotten to work on it a lot cause my laptop is still broken and shuts down at random times. I had to rewrite Hermione's walk out a lot because it kept shutting down! Hopefully next chapter will be longer but please bear with me until I get this thing fixed. Thanks for all the great reviews!!


	3. Two halves

A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters. That belongs to J.K. Rowling

Hermione slammed open the door to her room and collapsed onto her bed. The room was quiet but she could just barely hear something. It took her a minute to realize that it was her own soft sobbing. 

'You're pretty, Ron said so. Why are you crying?'

She could hear the voice in the back of her mind asking. It was true; Ron did think she was pretty. So why was she crying? 

'Because I'm pretty now.' She realized. That was what got her. The now part of what Ron had said. Was she really ugly without a little make-up and her hair done? Did it really make that much of a difference? She started to cry harder when she heard knocking at the common room portrait. She got up without thinking about it and started down the stairs. 

'It's probably just Neville, or Ron's come to apologize.' She could hear the venom in her thoughts as she thought his name. She pulled the portrait open and found herself face to face with none other than Draco Malfoy. 

"Nice shirt." He smiled, trying to make her a little happier. 

"Malfoy?" She dried her eyes. 

"What are you doing here?" She tilted her head to one side as she thought about it. Draco sighed and shifted his weight from one foot to another. 

"Well, you seemed really upset when you stormed out of the Great Hall so I figured I'd come see what's wrong." Sometime during his explanation his shoes suddenly became very interesting and he looked up from the ground after he was finished. Hermione was shocked to say the least. 

"You came to see if I was ok?" She questioned in disbelief. He nodded his head a little. 

"Is that so hard to believe? After all I did carry you up to your room last night and you gave me this." He pulled on the silver chain around his neck, revealing the locket that hung on it. Hermione's brows knitted together as she stared at the locket. 

"Why are you wearing that? I thought you hated muggleborns." She placed the locket in her hand, turning it over as she waited for his response. He rolled his eyes. 

"I don't, my father does. The way I figure it if I don't stand up to him now then he'll use me like he does my mother. I'm not going to let him and that starts with me doing what I want. That happens to include being nice to you." He took the locket from her hand and started to fiddle with it. 

"You don't hate me? After all the hateful things I've said to you? You must be joking." Her eyes were wide with doubt. Draco laughed, his light voice echoing down the empty hall.

"I don't think I could hate you if I tried. Besides I deserved all of the things you said. I let my father tell me what to do. I've forgiven and forgotten and it seems," He nodded at the shirt she was wearing. 

"You have too." Hermione looked down at her shirt and blushed a little. 

"I have something for you." Draco broke the second long silence and reached for something in one of the inner pockets of his robe. 

"Here." He handed her a small red box with a black bow. 

"What's this for?" She looked up at his, wary of what might be in the small box. Draco smiled, tossing his hair out of his eyes. 

"For helping me get away from my father's thinking. If you hadn't run into me last night crying I probably wouldn't have rethought my entire life. This is a little thank you for waking me up." He started fiddling with the two silver chains around his neck. She opened the box and her mouth dropped open in surprise. Inside the box was a silver heart pendant on a silver chain. The pendant was incomplete though, half was missing. She looked up at Draco. 

"Where's the other half?" She pulled the chain out and unclasped the back so she could put it on.

"Here let me help you with that." Draco turned her around and put the small charm on her. When she turned around he pulled the two chains out so she could see. One was the locket she had given him to hold onto. The other was the second half of the heart.

"It's more than just a heart you know." He pushed the two sides of the half heart and it sprung open, revealing a place for a picture.

"The locket is magical so you can put the picture in as a heart shape and it won't bend or fold." He pulled a picture out of his pocket and put it in, closing the locket before she could see the face on it.

"Open it up." He held out the pendant and walked away before she could. Curious Hermione walked back into the common room before popping open the locket. Inside was a picture of her from the Yule Ball.

'But why is it a picture of me?' She closed the locket and put it around her neck. She contemplated going and asking him but decided she needed some sleep and went back to bed.

A/N: alright, I finally finished this chapter! And the fourth chapter is up as well! Flames, constructive criticism and praise are all welcome. Just please review!


	4. Slipping notes

Draco shifted his weight from foot to foot, nervous about potions. Typical, it was with the Gryffindors and he wanted to see if Hermione had figured out what he had meant with that picture. Again he shifted his weight, not wanting to attract attention with pacing.

'Come on.' He looked at the clock and back at the door.

"Draco why do you keep looking at the door?" Blaise asked, not looking up from his book.

"No reason." Draco said half-heartedly. He was about to go into the hallway to see if she was coming when Hermione walked in, to Draco's surprise, alone. She walked right past his desk, dropping something on his lap before sitting down. He quickly grabbed the note and put it in his pocket so he could read it later in peace. Not too long afterwards, Ron and Harry walked in. Figuring that Ron and Harry would figure something was up if he didn't say something Draco reacted.

"Aww, is the Golden Trio having a lover's spat?" He asked in a baby voice. Ron and Harry glared at him and took seats away from Hermione. To his complete shock he heard Hermione giggle at the insult.

'She has a sense of humor after all.' He mused. He faced forward as Snape entered the room and began rattling off what they were doing for that class. Carefully he pulled the note from his pocket and read it as quickly as possible.

_Draco, I'm curious as to why there is a picture of me from the Yule Ball in the half-locket you gave me. More importantly, where did you get the picture of me from the Yule Ball? _

_Regards, _

_Hermione _

'Well, at least we're on a first name basis.' He pulled out a quill and scribbled a reply on the back of her note.

_Hermione, to remind you that you're beautiful. I heard you argue with Ron at breakfast yesterday (I think everyone did) and figured you needed a little reminder of how pretty you really are. As for where I got it? One of my friends took a picture of me and you happened to be facing the camera when he took it. _

_Sincerely, _

_Draco _

Draco folded the note up again and looked at the front of the class. They were supposed to be working on some kind of potion and Snape was starting to pair them up.

"Mr. Malfoy, you will be paired with..." Snape scanned the class.

"Ms. Granger." At this the two faked anger and started to stutter out their outrage.

"Silence you two; please move your things now." Snape moved onto the next pair.

Draco grabbed his stuff and moved to where Hermione was sitting, dropping his reply in her lap. Hermione scanned it quickly.

"Alright then. If a picture of me is in my half of the locket, then what's in your half?" She asked, pulling out some ingredients and starting to chop them up.

"What else but the other part of the picture." Draco pulled the locket half from around his neck and opened it to show a picture of himself smiling. Hermione smiled and dropped the ingredients in.

"Thanks again for the locket, it's beautiful." She whispered, stirring the potion while he grated the last couple ingredients.

"It's no problem, really. You deserve it too, after all you helped me." Draco watched as the potion turned light green then a dark blue. Snape came by and collected a sample.

"You two seem to be getting along well." He commented in a cold voice. They both nodded.

"Yes professor, we are." Draco agreed, looking over at Hermione and then down at the potion.

"After all, it's not worth screwing up a potion just cause we're arguing." He quickly covered. Hermione nodded her agreement and started to clean up.

"Keep up the good work." Snape muttered as he walked away.

'That was close.' Draco thought. Hermione looked over at him and smiled. 'Yes, it was.' She replied. Draco stood there in shock, having forgotten that she could do that. 'Eventually he'll figure out the truth though, Snape's not as stupid as I wish he was.' Draco pointed out. Hermione giggled a little. 'And here I thought you had no sense of humor.' She retorted. The bell rang for class release and they finished packing up. 'I want to talk to you later. Meet me in the astronomy tower at curfew.' He told her before walking towards his next class.

'The astronomy tower? What could he possibly want to talk about up there?' Hermione questioned, coming up with few possibilities. She dismissed the thought quickly, because Tweddle Dee and Tweddle Dum(a/n: spelling?) were headed her way.

A/N: I'm trying to update this story more. Since it's spring break for me I'll have a lot more time to dedicate to this story so expect another (probably short) chapter to be up sometime this week. Any suggestions, comments, concerns or threats are welcome!


	5. Of talks and surprises

Disclaimer: I don't own any thing except my laptop. Not even my soul.

A/N: This story is rated M for later chapters. I thank you for all the wondrous praise I've received and because of that I'm going to try and update a lot more often.

Harry and Ron were staring at her. How strange. Hermione quickly pinched herself to make sure this wasn't some food-induced dream.

"Hermione we want to talk to you." Harry said, Ron breathing heavy next to him.

"Well, you're talking to me. What do you want to say?" Hermione replied. Ron's teeth could be heard clenching.

"We want to talk about the whole 'you-wearing-Malfoy's-shirt' thing. It wasn't right of us to react the way we did and I'm sorry." Harry gave her a weak smile, but she was looking at Ron.

"What about you?" She asked him. Ron just stood there glaring at her.

"I've got nothing to say." He huffed angrily and stormed off. 'What's his problem?' Hermione just watched his retreating back. Harry shook his head.

"Ignore him. He's still getting over the whole thing. That and you did call the ferret Draco." He pointed out. Hermione looked over at him.

"So? He has a name, why can't I use it?" She asked, a little annoyed at Harry's childishness. He took a step back.

"I never said you couldn't. It's just a little weird is all." He laughed nervously.

"Well I'm going to go make sure Ron's ok. Bye." He took off running down the hall.

'Weird.' She turned and walked back up to her room. "The astrology tower…it could just be to ask if we can try and be friends…maybe…" She was running through the possibilities. 'Whatever. I'll find out when I get up there." She laid down on her bed and took a nap.

RING!!

"DAMN IT!" Hermione threw her alarm clock across the room, not bothering her roommates since they were just coming up the stairs. 'Oh shit!' She got up and hid, waiting until they were through the door before sneaking down to the common room. Once she was satisfied that there was no one in the room she made her way over to the portrait and on her way to the astrology tower where she was supposed to be meeting Draco. 'What if he's setting me up? Trying to get me in trouble?' She stopped where she was when she heard pacing. Looking up she realized it was a little late for second thoughts. She was standing in front of the astrology tower door and someone was inside. 'Here goes nothing.' She pushed open the door and there was Draco Malfoy, hair slightly messy. He was pacing back and forth in front of a blanket on the floor which was covered in food and candles. And then he looked up.

A/N: And another chapter finished! Go me! Again comments, concerns, questions and threats are all welcome. Praise is appreciated. 


	6. Moonlit picnic

Disclaimer: I own nothing. J.K. Rowling wrote the books.

A/N: Yes! Another chapter! For my fans I'm willing to stay up all night writing this. It's 3 am right now.

I thank all my wonderful fans for not giving up on the story earlier when I ran out of inspiration and to the ones who have given me a total of 50 reviews! I dedicate this chapter to my fans!

Recap: She pushed open the door and there was Draco Malfoy, hair slightly messy. He was pacing back and forth in front of a blanket on the floor which was covered in food and candles. And then he looked up.

"Hey Draco." Hermione looked around the room. It was all draped in purple and black. Candles were placed around round tower room and the room smelled of amber and blackberries. Draco looked like a deer in the headlights.

"Um, hey Hermione." He looked so nervous and adorable.

"I kinda wanted to talk to you about something that I've been thinking about for a while. Come sit." He offered her his hand and let her to the purple velvet blanket covered in food. She accepted the flute of butterbeer that he poured for her and smiled warmly.

"This is amazing Draco. So…romantic." She took a sip of her butterbeer while Draco blushed furiously.

"I didn't know what your favorite colors were and I didn't want to use red, green, gold, or silver. That whole house colors thing would've ruined the mood." He took a nervous gulp of his drink.

"I wanted to talk to you about us." He started. Hermione's eyes filled with confusion.

"What about us?" She asked, taking a chocolate kiss from the plate in front of her. Draco swallowed hard.

"Well, is there an us?" He asked, watching as she placed the kiss on her tongue. She seemed to think about it while letting the kiss melt on her tongue.

"That depends. What do you mean by 'us'? As in are we friends or can we try to be a couple?" She finished quietly. He took a deep breath and moved to where she was sitting.

"I mean, would you consider dating me?" He asked, looking into her coffee brown eyes and waiting.

"Are you trying to ask me out?" She smiled. He nodded fiercely, not trusting his voice at that moment. She giggled at that and took his hand.

"I would love to." Draco released a breath he hadn't even realized he had been holding.

"In that case, would you like to accompany me to Hogsmade this weekend?" He took a chocolate dipped strawberry from a nearby bowl and took a bite from it.

"Yes, I would love to accompany you to Hogsmade this weekend." She replied. Through out the night they made small talk, learning each other's likes and dislikes. Little did they know that they were being watched and he was pleased with what he was seeing.

A/N: Sorry this chapter is really short but I'm setting up for the next chapter. Next chapter is going to be Hogsmade (spelling?). So it'll be longer. A lot longer.


	7. A helping hand?

Disclaimer: I own nada.

A/N: Sorry for the wait, in return for being patient this is going to be the longest chapter so far. I might make longer ones but I'm not sure. SURPRISE! There's a twist! By the way, this story is set in like, the spring. Nice warm weather.

'Oh My God! Today's my date with Draco!'

Hermione kicked off her sheets, leapt out of bed, and ran over to her closet.

'Oh my god! What am I going to wear?' She started pulling things out of her closet and tossing them to the floor.

"Hermione! Go back to bed!" Lavender groaned as she pulled her sheets over her head.

"I can't, I've got a date and nothing to wear!" Abandoning her, now, empty closet she dropped to the floor to look through all her clothes again.

"A date? With who?" Padma yawned, sitting up.

"Don't worry about who! I'm worried about what I'm going to wear!" Hermione whined, using her wand to collect all her clothes back into her closet.

"Then go to Hogsmade and find something there." Lavender got up and got dressed, hunting around the vanity for her wand.

"I don't have money for clothes."

Hermione plopped down on her bed.

Knock Knock (A/N:Surprise!)

Hermione sighed and walked down to the common room to open the portrait door. Low and behold; there stood Pansy Parkinson, smiling warmly and dressed like she was going to church.

"Hi Hermione, I heard about the big date and I was wondering if you wanted some help picking out an outfit. I have to go to Hogsmade to pick out my outfit anyways." Pansy said cheerfully. Hermione stood there dumbstruck.

"Why are you offering?" Her voice almost stuck to her throat.

"Cause you dating him means that I can date Blaise and I wanted to thank you for breaking up the arranged marriage." Pansy explained, watching Hermione's face pale.

"But that would mean that his parents and your parents know-"

"-No they don't. Someone convinced 'His Dark Lord' that Blaise and I were meant for each other. Which leaves Draco free to date who he pleases." The pastel dressed Slytherin interrupted. (A/N: Pansy in pastels…shudder)

"Now go get dressed in something so we can leave." Pansy gave Hermione a push back into the common room and stepped back to wait outside. Hermione shut the portrait and ran upstairs, grabbing something matching out of her closet and got dressed.

"Where's the fire?" Padma asked.

"I'm going to Hogsmade to get something to wear, see you later bye." She grabbed her purse and ran out to the portrait.

"Ready." She smiled at Pansy.

"Then let's go get something that will impress our men." They walked down through the castle, stopping a few times to chat with someone. They stopped outside in the courtyard.

"Our ride should be here soon." Pansy said, charming a blanket and some food for them to eat while they waited.

"How are we going to get there?" Hermione asked, buttering a roll.

"Flying horses and a carriage. Like something out of a fairy tale." Pansy sighed.

"Tonight is going to be perfect. Candlelight and dinner, music and romance. It's so amazing." Pansy smiled and looked up.

"The carriage is here!" She finished eating her eggs and stood up, brushing off her dress.

"It's beautiful." Hermione said as the horses landed the carriage.

"Like Cinderella's carriage." Pansy said, pulling Hermione over to it. They stepped into a spacious room; with a hot tub, plasma screen TV, karaoke machine, bar and kitchen.

"Wow….this is a carriage?" Hermione asked.

"Yep, my own customized carriage. I've even got a maid to clean it and a chef." She walked into the kitchen and cleared her throat.

"Mark. Two mandarin chicken salads please." Pansy asked. A house elf, dressed like a professional chef, appeared.

"A house elf?" Hermione raised an eyebrow. Pansy rolled her eyes. Everyone knew Hermione's stand on house elves.

"Don't worry, he's paid." Pansy took the salads and walked over to the couch.

"Come on." Hermione grabbed the remote and they started watching WMTV. (A/N: the wizard version of MTV) An hour later they landed in Hogsmade.

"We have arrived!" They shouted as they got out. In the hour they had been watching music videos and eating salad they had become friends.

"Forever 18, the hottest witch clothing store." Pansy pulled open the door and they were instantly whisked away in a whirlwind or blues, greens, and purples.

"Pansy darling! So good to see you back." Denise Levay greeted the girls with a flurry of hugs, measurements, and outfits.

"Try these on while I go get Lukas." He hurried away.

"Who's Lukas?" Hermione asked, walking into a dressing room to try on the clothes.

"Denise's sweetheart. Those two have been dating for 2 ½ years." Pansy sighed, walking out in a light blue skirt with a matching tank top.

"Wow, they must be in love." Hermione walked out in a black and red halter top and a knee length black skirt.

"Ew, no!" They both said, running back into the dressing rooms. 26 outfits, 17 pairs of shoes, 4 cups of tea, 2 hours, and 306 galleons later the girls were on their way out the door.

"That was so much fun." Hermione giggled as they left, bags swaying dangerously as they hurried back to the carriage.

"You know what we should work on next?" Pansy said, grinning.

"What?" Hermione stepped into the carriage and set down her bags.

"Your wardrobe." Pansy replied, putting her bags down on the opposite side of the door.

"What's wrong with my wardrobe?" Hermione asked, getting a soda from Mark.

"Nothing. It could just use a touch up, you know? Some super expensive clothes to just wear whenever." Pansy pulled her new swimsuit from a bag and put it on.

"I suppose." Hermione grabbed her swimsuit as well.

"I guess it couldn't hurt. I could use some cuter clothes." Hermione got into the hot tub with Pansy.

"Hold on." Pansy pressed a button and the hot tub began to move, stopping when it sat directly in front of the TV.

"Very nice." Hermione reached over and grabbed the remote, flipping through the channels before settling on a crime show called 'Bones' (A/N: Love that show)

"Bones? Sound creepy." Pansy said, fetching a bowl of popcorn from the kitchen.

"It is. They solve murders and find most of their evidence in the strangest ways." Hermione rolled her eyes and took a handful of popcorn to munch on.

"Cool." Pansy settled down to watch. An hour later they charmed themselves dry and changed back into their clothes.

"Let's go. We only have 4 hours to get ready!" Pansy grabbed her bags and ran out of the carriage. Hermione followed suit, taking off after Pansy and thanking Merlin that she had worn tennis shoes. Pansy raced up the staircases, stopping when they reached the Prefect's bath.

"Since we're both Prefects I don't think the others will mind if we take over the bathroom for a few hours." Pansy turned back to the statue and tapped it on the nose 3 times.

"Gentle wash." She said, stepping back as the gargoyle jumped out of the way. The girls walked into the lavish room and set down their bags.

"You get some towels and I'll start the water." Pansy said, walking over to the tub and turning on some of the faucets. Hermione grabbed a couple towels, setting them near the edge of the tub.

"What scent do you want the bubbles?" Pansy 's hands hovered over the bubble knobs.

"Blackberry and Amber." Hermione said, stripping off her shoes and socks to test the water with her feet.

"Good, I love the Blackberry Amber scent. That's so cool." Pansy turned the bubbles on full blast to fill up the tub quickly. She started to turn off all the knobs, starting at the first ones she had turned on. The girls sunk into the warm water, the bubbles shielding them from peeping eyes.

"So we need to think about what we're going to do for our hair and make-up. I'm thinking we tame yours into ringlets. That will look cute with anything you wear. I'm not sure what we should do with mine though." Pansy picked up a handful of bubbles, blowing them into the air.

"We could put your hair into a bun with a loose strand on either side of your face. That would look pretty with that new dark blue dress you bought." Hermione grabbed a towel to put behind her head. Pansy thought about it for a minute.

"I could put my hair up in a braid for the lavender dress. I guess it depends on what I'm planning on wearing." She slipped under the water and swam to the other side. They started talking clothes, music, and food for the hour they were in the tub. Finally they got out, draining the tub and toweling off.

"So where to now? We can't go to my dorm or your dorm." Hermione said. Pansy pulled on her robe and grabbed her shopping bags.

"To the Room of Requirements of course." She spun around and started walking, her hair flinging water droplets everywhere. Hermione did the same, hurrying to catch up to Pansy. They walked past the hidden door 3 times and it opened. The inside was a dressing room dream. 6 full-length mirrors, 2 make-up tables, clothing racks to hang their latest purchases on, and movie star lighting to show them what they were doing.

"Talk about gorgeous!" They dropped their bags and started to hang up the clothes.

"So what do you think, should we do our hair and make-up first or choose our outfits?" Pansy asked, unpacking a bunch of make-up onto the vanities.

"We should pick our outfits; after all we can't decide our hair and make-up if we don't know what we're wearing." Hermione shuffled through the dresses before picking up a pretty one. A black velvet dress with blue-violet silk in the front and a reversible cape.

"I think this would look nice, don't you?" She held it up in front of the mirrors and started turning this way and that to see how she looked in it.

"That's beautiful Hermione. What do you think about this one for me?" Hermione turned around to see Pansy holding up a carmine(A/N: dark red) lace-up dress.

"That's so pretty Pansy; I didn't see you pick that up in the store." Hermione walked behind the changing curtain and slipped into the dress. When she finished Pansy was already brushing her hair in front of the mirrors.

"Now then about your hair, a simple curling spell should do the trick. I'm not sure which would look better with mine though." Pansy set the brush down and grabbed her wand. Hermione grabbed the brush, giving it a quick run through her drying hair before letting Pansy say the spell.

"Now then, what should we do with my hair?" Pansy turned this way and that in the mirrors, thinking as the fabric swished around her.

"What about a bun with a few loose strands of hair? That would look amazing." Hermione started to look over the make-up. She picked up silver eyeshadow and a dark blue eyeliner.

"I could do that. What about putting a flower in my hair? Like a red rose?" Pansy was fixing her hair the muggle way.

"That sounds great. I think that dress would look nice with some scarlet eyeshadow." Hermione handed her the make-up and went back to applying her own. After a couple minutes they were finished and moved on to the shoes. They both grabbed a pair of black stilletoes and put them on.

"Now all we have to do is wait another 15 minutes for our dates to come pick us up." Pansy smiled.

A/N: Yes, I'm stopping this chapter right here. At first this chapter was going to be the entire day but it's gotten too long and I feel like updating. So next chapter will be the entire date. It's currently 2:55 am and I hope my fans are happy. I'm hyped up on 3 cups of coffee and I've got school today. Questions, Comments, Concerns, and Threats are all welcome. Thank you and good morning.


	8. Authors note

Disclaimer: I still own nothing.

A/N: Hey guys, just thought I'd let you know that I haven't forgotten about the story. I'm actually writing the next chapter right now so i should have it updated within the next few days. Hopefully I'll have this updated tomorrow but I'm not sure. Questions, Comments, Concerns and Threats are, as always, welcome.


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